A Capitol Hill Presence in the Blogosphere

There's a small but growing number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have tried their hands at blogging. More than a dozen have launched blogs or blog-like pages on their official Web sites in an apparent effort to sidestep the mainstream media and, like thousands -- possibly, millions -- of other Americans, take their stories directly to the public. Some are short-lived, beginning and ending with a trip overseas. Others are permanent. Some are updated daily. Others, once in a while. The sites, invariably, are much tamer than other, well-known blogs. There is no fire-breathing partisanship. No snarky dishing. No soul-searching confessionals. In fact, some appear to be little more than news releases strung together to look like a blog. Some Internet experts said they are heartened by the lawmakers' efforts, saying the sites can give constituents glimpses into their representatives' personalities, opinions and day-to-day responsibilities. "Anytime they do anything that is more responsive to constituents' needs and interests, and anytime they're trying to be more transparent about their work, it's a good thing," said Nicole Folk, technology analyst at the Congressional Management Foundation. Most lawmakers still shy away from the sites for any number of reasons: They do not have the staff to maintain them; their constituents are not demanding them; they are not comfortable with the loose, freewheeling tone associated with blogs. But an increasing number appear to have found a sort of middle ground, focusing less on developing their own sites and, instead, taking their writings to other, more established blogs with active followings. More than a dozen lawmakers have written for the Huffington Post, a celebrity-studded blog run by pundit Arianna Huffington.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Faler]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/10/AR2005101001241.html
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